We recommend that you look at the complete range of WayofLeaf growing instructions if you’ve ever desired to cultivate your favorite marijuana strain. We’ve spent a lot of time researching the most useful information and techniques to help you enjoy big buds with sticky trichomes and potent crops. In this Granddaddy Purple growing tutorial, we’ll teach you how to make the most of a classic indica. Looking to try something new? Check out this Purple Erkle.
Granddaddy Purple is a strain of cannabis known for its powerful odor and high THC content. It was developed by Ken Estes in 2003 as Granddaddy Purple, or Granddaddy Purple. GDP is a cross between Big Bud and Purple Urkle, both of which are well-known medical strains. In 2004, Granddaddy Purple won the Inglewood Medical Cannabis Cup, as well as the prestigious Green Cup three years in a row (2004 – 2006).
Grandaddy Purple is an indica-dominant (80%) hybrid with a THC level of up to 23 percent. It has the same characteristics of other indicas, including a strong cerebral high followed by total relaxation. You will feel calm and should be able to sleep after you have enjoyed the feeling of euphoria.
Granddaddy Purple has an enticing fruity and berry aroma and flavor. Given its properties, you won’t be shocked to learn that GDP is used to cure sleeplessness. It’s also employed in the medical field for appetite restoration and anxiety reduction. Continue reading to discover eight fantastic growth techniques for Granddaddy Purple.
GDP Prefers Indoor Growing
Granddaddy Purple is one of the shortest and bushiest indica strains, making it ideal for growing indoors. Indoors, if you don’t train your GDP plants, they will develop into visually appealing bushes up to three feet tall, although outside they have been documented to reach eight feet!
When growing GDP indoors, you’ll discover that it doesn’t mind whether you use soil or prefer a hydroponics system. Its blooming period is eight weeks long, although in some cases it can reach 11 weeks. It produces up to 19 ounces per square foot. If you decide to cultivate GDP outdoors, it will grow into a thick bush with the potential to produce up to 17 ounces each plant. It’s usually ready for harvesting by the middle of October.
Super-Cropping Increases the Yield on Your Granddaddy Purple Grow
Please keep in mind that Super Cropping is a High-Stress Training (HST) that could go horribly wrong. It entails intentionally harming your Granddaddy Purple plants to ensure they become bushier, produce more buds, and have higher THC levels. This is a marijuana plant’s natural reaction to protect itself if things go awry in the outdoors.
To encourage Granddaddy Purple plants to develop bushier, with more buds and greater THC levels, HST involves ‘injuring’ the plants.
Super cropping is a popular technique among growers, but it comes with dangers. Super cropping is well-known because it performs effectively when done appropriately. You already know that THC is the beloved chemical in marijuana that gives you the high. The flowers of the feminized female plant produce the majority of your GDP’s THC.
It’s no secret that marijuana plants produce THC as a means of protection. Weed is vulnerable to deer and other animals attempting to consume the blooms in the wild. This is a disaster since it prevents the plants from producing seeds and reproducing. THC serves as a safeguard by deterring predators.
Choose bendy branches and do this HST technique during the vegetative stage if you want to super-crop your Granddaddy Purple plant. Bend and squeeze these branches in the direction you desire them to grow. To prevent it from returning to its original position, secure the stem (tape it down). Use duct tape to restore a fractured branch if necessary.
When done correctly, super cropping delivers more branches, buds, a shorter and more controlled GDP plant, and a greater THC percentage. Super cropping is ideal for advanced growers who wish to produce cannabis in an enclosed location like a closet.
What’s the Right Temperature & Humidity Level for GDP Weed?
The Granddaddy Purple plant prefers a dry climate, although it can withstand somewhat lower temperatures for a short time when grown outside. Keep your Granddaddy Purple plants exposed to temperatures of 70- to 80-degree Fahrenheit during the day as a rule of thumb. Allow no more than 10-15 degrees’ drop in nightime temperature.
PRO GROWING TIP: Keep your Granddaddy Purple plants exposed to temperatures between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit during the day for the greatest yields.
Humidity is the worst enemy when it comes to growing Grandaddy Purple. If you want to cultivate cannabis, you must understand how humidity affects your plants. It’s the amount of water vapor in the air and is measured on a percentage scale. The greater the humidity, the less nutrients your marijuana can absorb. The plant’s stomata will close if the humidity rises too much, preventing it from absorbing any water.
It’s also important to remember that humidity levels should be maintained at a minimum of 50%. While this is true for certain strains, the majority of cannabis plants prefer it lower. GDP is one such strain. When growing GDP, keep the humidity level between 50% and 60%. If you let it get too humid,
Controlling Humidity on Your Granddaddy Purple Grow
The first thing you should do is invest in a hygrometer if you’re growing indoors or outdoors. It’s a device that measures humidity. Purchase a digital version (preferably one that also displays the temperature) and install it in the space. When you water your plants, as you would expect, the humidity in the room rises significantly. While this is useful during the vegetative stage, it becomes an issue during blooming when humidity levels must be reduced.
Water your plants only when the lights are on, as they’ll evaporate most of it during the day. If you water at night, the temperature drops and you won’t need to remove as much hot air. To combat excessive humidity, install a dehumidifier if possible. Remember that humidity levels must drop throughout flowering. It should be no more than 40% humid by the end of October.
Handling Bud Rot & Mildew
In a humid environment, if you attempt to increase your GDP, you risk exposing it to bud rot and mildew. Bud rot is a variety of mold that attacks the stems from the inside out. It’s difficult to detect early on, and if left unchecked, it will produce spores that travel all around. The rotting may spread throughout your entire crop. Discard your bud as soon as it begins to mold.
Powdery mildew is a fungal disease that affects the buds and leaves of cannabis plants. Because of a lack of sunshine and higher humidity, it may appear on the lower branches first. It has a white, powdery appearance and generally settles on the surface of the leaves. Its speed and range of distribution are quickening all throughout California
Pruning and training techniques can help you avoid bud rot. The flow of air is enhanced, as is the collection of moisture. Keep your GDP plants watered and ensure that their soil is permeable to allow them to breathe if you want to prevent root rot issues.
Powdery mildew is more obvious, and you can prevent it by cutting the plants and applying organic fungicides to them. If your GDP plants develop this problem at harvest, use a solution of 3% hydrogen peroxide with water to destroy the mildew by sterilizing the harvested produce.
Feeding Your Granddaddy Purple Plants
As is the case with most marijuana plants, focus on nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) during growth. Increase nitrogen consumption throughout the vegetative stage and use a higher phosphorus solution in the flowering. Copper, boron, iron, sulfur, manganese, magnesium, and calcium are examples of secondary essential minerals.
In general, go ‘organic’ whenever you’re not sure. Synthetic fertilizers can be very salty and harm your plants’ capacity to absorb nutrients. Purchase a pre-mixed bag of organic “super soil,” which should contain all your GDP plants require.
The next step is to add the appropriate amendments once you’ve chosen a high-quality soil. Look for nitrogen-rich nutrients like bat guano, crustacean meal, and worm castings in the vegetative stage. Rock dust, chicken dung, and bone meal are all good sources of phosphorus. Add compost, wood ash, and kelp meal to improve the potassium content of your soil.
Add nitrogen-rich nutrients such as bat guano, crustacean meal, and worm castings when your GDP plants are in the vegetative phase.
Start by tillning your soil and digging or else using a rototiller to mix it thoroughly. The objective is to combine the dirt correctly and ensure that you’ve covered all of your pots’ edges. Water the dirt to cool any manure you added while mixing it.
Attaining the Right pH Level in the Soil
The pH of a solution is important to remember since it influences the alkalinity and acidity. The ideal pH range for GDP, as determined by Ken Estes, is 6.0-6.2 in soil, and 5.6-5.8 in hydroponics (see chart below). In water or soil, the term “pH” refers to the acid-alkaline balance. From 0 (battery acid) to 14 (liquid drain cleaner), the pH scale ranges widely (see table below).
Granddaddy Purple prefers a soil pH of 6.0-6.2, while hydroponics requires a pH of 5.6-5.8.
Water that has been vaporized is known as “pure water.” Pure water has a pH of 7.0 and is classified as “neutral.” Everything from 0 to 6.9 degrees is acidic, while everything from 7.1 to 14.0 degrees is alkaline. Marijuana prefers slightly acidic soil, as you can see by our advice. One full point on the pH scale represents a tenfold increase or decrease, to put it another way. Coffee is 10-times more acidic than milk when the pH level is 5.0; the latter’s pH rating of 6
We strongly advise purchasing a pH meter. Your GDP plants will have a harder time obtaining the essential nutrients you offer them if the soil’s pH is out of balance. If your Granddaddy Purple has small, dark-green leaves and is growing slowly, the soil most likely has an incorrect pH level. Runoff water may be used to check this.
There are several different ways to alter the soil’s acidity. pH UP and pH DOWN are two of them. Use soil sulfur to lower the pH in alkaline soil, and lime to raise the acidity in acidic dirt.
When to Harvest Granddaddy Purple
Granddaddy Purple blooms in approximately eight weeks, as previously stated. If the plant does not display its beautiful purple hue during flowering, don’t be alarmed. It becomes visible after six weeks and serves as a useful timetable for harvesting. It’s only 1-2 weeks before harvest when it turns completely purple.
It’s difficult to know when to harvest as a first-time grower. There are two methods for determining this. Option A is to inspect the plant for change in color of its pistils. The pistils are the female plant’s sex organs, which are white throughout most of the growing cycle. Towards the end, they begin to become red or brown, just like with other strains. When 70-80% of the pistils have changed color, GDP is at its highest potency (
Option B is to pay attention to the trichome color of your GDP plants. If the trichomes on your GDP plants are clear, they aren’t ripe yet. The white trichomes on your plants become visible as they approach their harvest date. Your plants will be ready for harvesting when the trichomes have mostly red/brown pistils and white trichomes with a ‘mushroom’ head. Although you may notice pistil color without using a microscope, you’ll need a handheld one to use the trichome method.